


Life after the Metaverse

by boamless



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28801422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boamless/pseuds/boamless
Summary: Collection of short stories where Ren is allowed to stay in Tokyo after the events of P5. Slight Canon divergence because of the OC but all the main events of P5 remain. Expect shenanigans.NOTE: No royal content is included
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist, Niijima Sae/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 11





	1. Embrace change

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real attempt at writing something that won't be graded so if it ain't the best you know why.
> 
> For context, these stories will be taking place around the time Ren is a third year as well as during university. The OC will be explained within the story but the main thing you need to know is that he joined the Phantom thieves and used the codename Spartan. He focused on pure physical damage as well as buffing and de-buffing to help control the fight. He also acted as the combat navigator and helped find strengths and weaknesses of shadows. 
> 
> That's all for now, I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more!

[January 28th 20xx]

Ren was surprisingly startled awake from his phone buzzing consistently. Without bothering to stretch he reaches for his phone which lays on a bedside table he recently bought. After blinking a bit he manages to find that Makoto has been relentlessly trying to call and text him saying that he could be in trouble. Reading the messages further he finds out that Makoto tried to convince her sister to allow Ren to stay overnight on Valentine's day and whilst it ruined the surprise slightly, he was soon on high alert. He felt like he was in the metaverse again, the constant stress of having to stay out of sight, always having to look over your shoulder, as much as he was glad he and the rest of the thieves did what they did, he definitely doesn't miss that feeling of paranoia. So whilst trying to keep as calm as possible, he tries to diffuse the situation and call the only person, apart from Makoto, he feels could solve the problem.

"Hey Alex, It's Ren." He states slightly too urgently.

"... Hey Ren, what's up? It's not like you to call me at this time, let alone on a sunday." Alex replies, incredibly tired and groggy.

"There's a slight problem, Makoto tried to convince Sae to let me sleep overnight on Valentine's day..." 

"Oh... Well that is a problem. And I assume you're asking for my help cos I'm the only one brave enough, or stupid enough depending on who you ask, to try and talk to her?"

"Right on the money."

"Consider it done but only if you cover one of my shifts at LeBlanc for me, I got a lot of work to catch up on. Gentle reminder: don't aim to overachieve in all your work or else you'll end up staying awake all night just to stay on top of it all."

"That's fine by me and I'll try my best not to."

"Cool, if that's everything, I might as well prepare to slay the leviathan."

"Better than you than me buddy, catch you later."

And with that, the conversation ends and Ren falls back onto his bed and tries to get back to sleep for what little time he may have left.

Alex Beaumont always slept in on sundays. They were the only days he could afford to relax a little. But this sunday isn't a normal sunday. Whilst he often had a shift at LeBlanc on sundays, he may have to call ahead and warn Sojiro that he's gonna be late. After doing his daily routine, he throws on a simple two-tone Black and white hoodie as well as a pair of black jeans. He sets off to the Niijima apartment in the hopes of calming the raging anger within his partner.

On the way Alex realises that he's definitely going to be late so he decides to give Sojiro a call.

"I keep forgetting you have my number." The rough and generally disgruntled voice of Sojiro comes through.

"Yeah yeah I know 'you only save women's phone numbers' I know, listen, I'm unfortunately gonna be a bit late to my shift today, I gotta prevent your adopted son from being torn apart by the woman of my dreams."

"First of all don't give me any of that, you're lucky you even have this job in the first place. Second of all, I understand, take as much time as you need, She really can be quite the handful from if what you say is true. see you when you're done."

"Thanks Sojiro, I'll be done as soon as I can."

"Fine by me but the extra time will be coming out of your paycheck."

"Sure thing, I'll see you soon."

After finishing the call he stands outside the door of the Niijima apartment. He can hear muffled voices, one incredibly apologetic whilst also too stubborn to back down and another voice that is incredibly commanding and equally stubborn. After a deep breath in, Alex knocks on the door and waits. Almost immediately the door opens and reveals the slightly scowling face of his lover, Sae Niijima.

"O-Oh, I definitely wasn't expecting you to come over today." Whilst the glare still remains, it softens slightly upon seeing her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I think I may have left my wallet here the other day and I thought I might as well spend some time with you as well if that's alright. I do hope I'm not intruding on anything." Alex stated. Whilst he was lying, it was also completely plausible that he did leave his wallet when he stayed over a couple of days ago.

"No, you're not intruding, feel free to come in." The expression fully softens and Sae allows herself a small smile. Whilst she was still incredibly angry and wanted to throw anything and anyone out of the window, she also really did love her boyfriend and coming to see her seemingly out of the blue really did have an effect on her.

Alex swiftly enters and casts a slight comforting glance at Makoto who is situated at the table. Makoto seemingly understands the glance and therefore the real reason he turned up and mouths a quick "thank you" to him as he walks past.

"Have you two eaten? I don't mind cooking for you if you need me to. It's a sunday so that means it's usually a full english for breakfast and I know how much you guys love that, especially you Sae." He says with a small smirk that he knows often irritates Sae.

Sae faintly blushes and rushes over to the kitchen to stop him from saying anything else in front of her sister, "N-No, We're alright, we recently had breakfast." she replies whilst covering his mouth with her hand and shooting him the strongest glare she can muster after being put on the backfoot. 

Alex moves the hand away from his mouth, "Oh well fair enough then." he says as he walks back out of the kitchen and takes a seat at the dining table opposite Makoto. "So how's everything going then guys? I hope you didn't miss me too much." He chuckled.

"We've been doing alright, but we do have something that we have been discussing the past couple of hours that's put a bit of strain on the both of us." Makoto states. Whilst both Alex and Makoto knew what the issue was, Alex still had to pretend he didn't know.

"Oh? What's going on? We all know I'm not much of a councillor or therapist but maybe I can offer some help." Alex tries to look confused and puzzled with the declaration.

"Simply put, Makoto wants her boyfriend to stay overnight on Valentine's day." Sae says with her arms folded in a way that can only be described as parent-like.

"Really? that's all? What's the issue here? You do know that she's in university and she's old enough to make her own decisions right? I mean, hopefully without spoiling anything, it's not something we should be worried about anyways."

"...I suppose that's fine, as long as he sleeps on the couch. Am I clear?" Sae simply glared at both of them.

"Miss Niijima. Do you really think an occasion such as Valentine's day is going to be spent on the couch and not with each other?" Alex answered back whilst also glaring at Sae with the same intensity.

"I can't really argue on this one, I imagine we're going to be in a similar situation so I suppose it's only fair. You are old enough to be doing what you want now Makoto." Sae reluctantly admitted in defeat.

"Brilliant, I'm glad we all settled that then, now I'm going to go look for my wallet." Alex happily stated whilst having the largest possible grin on his face.

He makes his way towards Sae's bedroom and pretends to look for his wallet. Alex calls Ren to say that the problem is solved and he needs him to cover his shift whilst he spends time with Sae to keep her happy enough she doesn't change her mind.


	2. New beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to the origin of how Alex joined the phantom thieves.

**April 5th 20xx**  
LeBlanc was usually bustling with life around midday. Many workers on break as well as many fans of the Phantom Thieves gathered in the previously empty cafe. After hearing that LeBlanc housed the retired leader of the Phantom Thieves whilst they were around lead to a significant increase in business and whilst many originally travelled to simply be in the same building the infamous leader lived, many ended up being returning customers as they soon fell to the curse of the incredible coffee and curry combination. Surprisingly, today LeBlanc seemed empty, almost devoid of life. The only sign of life was the subtle bubble of the pot full of curry. This soon changed as the door soon opened to reveal an incredibly large man that almost had to duck through the doorway to get through.

“Hello? Anybody here?” the large man said. “Huh, weird, Sojiro’s usually begging me to get behind the counter as soon as possible.” he continued as he slowly made his way further into the cafe.

Not a second later, multiple people from seemingly nowhere appeared in front of him as they all cheerfully shouted in unison “SURPRISE.”

After a moment of being incredibly startled, he soon realised that the people surrounding him were none other than the Phantom Thieves, the family he is thankful to have met.

“Did you guys really have to do all of this? I mean I get it’s my birthday but you really don’t have to do all of this.” The man seemed surprised and slightly embarrassed that everyone decided to surprise him.

“Of course we did! We’re pretty sure you’d do it for us… at least I’m sure of it.” Ann replied with mock anger.

“Yeah! Someone has to remind you that you’re getting old and why not make sure that heart is still going strong as well!” Futaba added with her signature mischievous grin.

“Really? I’m getting old? I’m not old enough to beat you when we go to the arcade though.” the man responded without hesitation.

Whilst Futaba grumbled, the rest of the Thieves finally greeted the so-called “Dad” of the team.

Ryuji gave him a fist bump as he grinned, “It’s good to see ya again man, hope we didn’t raise your blood pressure too much.”

He could only facepalm all whilst chuckling to himself. “You kids are gonna be the death of me I swear.”

“It is good to see you again Alex.” Yusuke briefly said whilst keeping his head down whilst he sketches god knows what.

“You too Yusuke. May I ask what it is you’re drawing? My best guess knowing you is that you’re drawing me during the brief moment I was shocked.” Alex questioned.

“You’re exactly right my friend, It’s good to see that you’re as sharp as ever even after our thieving days. I am in fact sketching you as you begin to understand and comprehend the turmoil that briefly resided within you.” Yusuke replied whilst gesturing grandly with his other hand as he finally looks up from his notepad.

“...right, you have fun doing that then.” Alex responded, slightly confused.

After the rest of the thieves greeted Alex, they began celebrating Alex’s birthday. Many laughs were shared, food was eaten (maybe a bit too much in Ryuji’s and Morgana’s cases), drinks were flowing (Coffee for most, soda for the rest) and the cafe was anything but quiet throughout the rest of the day.

As the day eventually drew to a close, it did eventually begin to become quieter. After a brief silence where everyone was simply enjoying the moment, Alex eventually spoke.

“You know, I never could have imagined that I’d spend my time with the phantom thieves, let alone join them. I remember it like it was yesterday…”

\-------------------------------------------

**One year earlier, July 6th 20xx**

“Alright, we’re all clear on the target right? We’re looking for someone named Hina Imazumi.” Morgana clarified.

After everyone nodded, Ren tapped on his phone and reality started shifting. They soon appeared in Mementos.

“Alright, I can sense our target a couple of layers below us, let’s get going!” Mona stated.

“Huh, since when did it become so dark out, I swear it’s only 4pm, this doesn’t seem right.” A mysterious voice said behind the thieves.

Everyone quickly turned around in shock at the random voice that appeared behind them. It was only Makoto who recognized the figure who was looking around incredibly confused.

“Wait…how did you get here Alex?” Makoto questioned. Like everyone else, she was incredibly confused as to how her friend could appear in mementos.

“Hold on… Makoto? Is that you? What the hell are you wearing? Who the hell are the rest of you people? Why is there a weird anthropomorphic cat here?” Alex questioned back, his mind still reeling from the current scenario he is in. “I hope I’m not hallucinating here.”

Whilst Makoto’s face slowly reddened and she turned away out of embarrassment as she is once again made fully aware of how her outfit looks on her, she eventually mumbles “W-well, it’s um hard to say really. I’m assuming you’ve heard of the phantom thieves right?” Makoto says, still not looking up.

“...Holy shit, you guys are the phantom thieves I keep hearing about.”

Ren eventually steps forward and says “I guess you found us out. Before you do anything else, at least answer this question: Who are you?”

“Oh, well my name is Alex Beaumont, as you can probably tell by my height and/or my complexion, I’m not exactly from here. If you’re wanting to get more specific as to how I know Makoto, just know that I’m helping her learn more about university, you know, showing her around campus and just generally helping mentor her so she can settle into university life as easily as possible. Honestly, she’s like a little sister I never had which kinda hurts a bit more knowing that she’s a phantom thief and I didn’t know about it.” As he finishes the introduction, he slowly turns to glare at Makoto and she slightly shrinks with a sheepish grin across her face.

“I hope this isn’t too much trouble for you but would you mind if I stayed, I kinda wanna see how you guys change hearts.” Alex adds.

There’s a long, slightly awkward moment of silence before Ren speaks again, “Fine, as long as you stay out of the way and hide at any chance you get, this place is extremely dangerous, honestly you shouldn’t even be allowed to walk anywhere near here.”

“This information has been noted.” Alex replies.

“Good, now let’s go, we’ve got a heart to change.” Ren states as he begins walking into the depths of mementos.

During the trip in mementos, the thieves try to explain the process of changing hearts, from the metaverse itself, to how palaces are formed and how changes of hearts occur. If Alex didn’t understand any of it, he made no attempt at questioning it further.

After a while Alex asks, “So whose heart are you guys changing?”

“Someone called Hina Imazumi is the main target, she seems pretty sketchy to be honest. Broke up with this guy for no reason and has seemingly gone to someone more wealthy and did the exact same thing. She’s also apparently hanging around some dodgy company, most likely Yakuza.” Morgana explained as he continued to carry them across the tracks.

“...wait, you said their name was Hina Imazumi right? Well this changes things…” Alex said, visibly distressed and starting to panic.

“What’s it change?” Ryuji asked.

“I was the one that put that request up. I am the person she broke up with only for her to go to someone else.” Alex replied, slowly getting more and more upset and panicked as the realisation began to set in.  
Alex didn’t know what to think. He knew that the thieves would hopefully take care of his issue, but to physically see them change a heart, her heart, made the whole situation even more confusing than it already was.

After an incredibly awkward journey through mementos, they finally reached their target. The thieves saw a girl roughly the same age as Alex or maybe Makoto with long dark hair that went just past her neck tied into a ponytail. She wore a black t-shirt under a slightly oversized denim jacket as well as grey shorts and white thigh high socks with a pair of white converse. Her fashion sense and beauty made Ann slightly jealous.

As the thieves began to make their way towards Hina, she spots them and begins chuckling “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the famous phantom thieves. Why are you guys of all people trying to take my fame away from me, I’m so close to being a celebrity!” Hina says.

“Involving yourself with the Yakuza is a terrible business strategy to begin with. Second of all, going from person to person isn’t going to make you any more famous.” Ren calmly replies.

“And why shouldn’t I get with whoever I want, they’re only stepping stones for me to reach fame and wealth, then maybe my parents will finally care about me!” Hina responds, incredibly angry that someone dares to question her.

All the thieves begin preparing for battle but are soon stopped by… laughter? Laughter coming from behind them. The laughter slowly seemed to become more hysterical as it continued as Alex slowly began to double over whilst everyone stared, dumbfounded at the whole scene.

After he finally manages to calm down from laughing, he wipes away a few tears and says “And here I was thinking that you genuinely loved me for the time we were together. Now I hear that I’m only a cog in your machine. I almost seem like a soldier who was prepared to die in battle for a commander that saw me as expendable and a worthy sacrifice.”

Suddenly, and remaining chuckles disappear as Alex begins grasping his head in pain.

_It seems you’re finally aware of your pain._

Alex begins to scream in fear and pain as he tries to make the pain in his head go away, to no avail.

_If only they knew that it would be the soldiers that won them those wars and not their tactics._

Alex fell onto his knees as the screaming became more intense and the pain seemed to intensify.

_How about we show them true strength?_

Suddenly, Alex felt something incredibly hot on his face that he needed to get off of him. So he began to claw at this item. It was a mask that looked similar to a spartan helmet. As he slowly tore it away from his face, he felt blood pouring out of where the mask had come away from his face as blue flames slowly engulfed him.

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou shall cause chaos in the name of those you hold dear._

As the mask was just about to be peeled off, one name appeared at the tip of Alex’s tongue.

“Leonidas.”

As the blue flame spiralled around him, a form began to appear within. The flame dissipated and the figure stayed. A faceless figure wearing a similar helmet to Alex who wore a blue tunic and wielded a large shield a spear hovered above him.

“I’m stopping your games once and for all.” Alex claimed with nothing but pure fury in his eyes.

“Matarukaja!” Alex exclaimed as the entire group of thieves felt a sudden surge in power.

“You’re not stopping me!” Hina retaliated as she transformed into a coffin?

The coffin borne god seemed almost indestructible, any and all damage done to it barely made scratch. Even worse, it was incredibly powerful and left the entire team barely holding on, using a majority of their supplies to keep them all alive.

Alex eventually noticed that the god seemed to be hurt slightly more by the wind attacks mona was throwing at it.

“Everyone listen! If you can, hit it with wind attacks, it seems to be hurting more when you do that. If you can’t do that then keep it distracted for those that can!” Alex calls to the group.

After that input, they all slowly begin coordinating their attacks to ensure both Mona and Joker can attack without having to worry about being hit.

After a long fought battle, the coffin god was defeated and revealed Hina again only she was visibly defeated and ready to give up. “Why does fame even matter so much for me anyways? I didn’t need to ruin everyone else’s lives just because mine was.”

Alex walked over to her, incredibly tired after the fight and simply said “Go, change your ways, right your wrongs.”

“I will.” She solemnly replied as she slowly faded away, leaving behind a glowing orb.

Alex curiously picked it up and saw the orb transform into a family photo of Hina and the rest of her family. He allowed himself a small smile as he slowly began to collapse from the exhaustion.

When he finally came to, he was in some sort of bed but he could tell that it wasn’t his own. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed the wooden beams supporting the roof, still unsure he began to sit up and notice the faces of the phantom thieves all looking at him with relief as he woke up.

“Where am I?” he asks

“In my room in Yongen-Jaya.” Ren replies

“Huh, mind telling me how I got here?”

After a short explanation of how they somehow managed to smuggle an unconscious man onto the subway and carry him all the way to Yongen, they all look at him with slightly sheepish grins.

“I hope you guys didn’t put sunglasses on me, that honestly shouldn’t work and only makes you more suspicious.” Alex sighed, hoping they had more sense than that.

His judgments were clearly off the mark as they all began to look around at each other nervously. With nothing to do but facepalm, he does just that.

“That’s besides the point now” He began, “On another note, I wanted to thank you guys for helping me out. In a very roundabout and slightly awkward way, you put my mind at rest. It’s good to see you guys are doing good honest work.”

“Thanks man, it’s kinda our thing, help those in need and all that ya know?” Ryuji says enthusiastically.

“If it’s not too much trouble, would I be able to help you guys, I’m always willing and happy to give those without a voice a way to fight back and make sure they are heard...If you’ll take me that is.”

“We’re more than ready to have another persona-user on our side, welcome to the phantom thieves.” Ren said as he held his hand out. Alex took the hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Alright so now you need a codename.” Ryuji chimes in way too energetically.

“Oh yeah, I did hear you guys referring to each other in codenames, protect your identities and all that.” Alex begins to think of any potential options.

“What about gladiator?” Morgana asks

“Or Caesar” Makoto suggests

“I guess they’re pretty cool but they don’t seem to fit with the mask, those names reflect more roman history. How about Spartan? It fits the mask I think.” Alex offers.

The rest of the group look at each other and nod in agreement.

“Alright, Spartan it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell I really need to sort out the pacing. The entire thing took about 7 pages to get as much relevant information as possible. Either way I hope you enjoyed the read.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next one, Peace out!


	3. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mishima interviews Alex for the upcoming documentary Mishima is producing.

**March 7th 20xx**

Darkness surrounded the senses. No sounds, no lights, there was only the slightly muffled breathing of someone with a cloth bag on their head. The next second, lights flickered on, slowly blinding the person tied to a chair. Suddenly, the bag is ripped off of their head. As Alex slowly regains his senses, he realises he is in a random abandoned warehouse somewhere either in or close to Tokyo. As more of the warehouse comes into focus, he notices the person that took the bag off as well as the figure standing in front of him with a camera next to him.

Alex turns to his right, “Hey Ren,” and turns so he’s facing forward again, “Mishima is this really necessary? I get that you’re trying to make the documentary seem as authentic as possible but do you really need to interrogate me?” he questioned the figure in front of him. “...honestly I see and hear enough interrogations as it is.” he grumbles.

“I’m really sorry senpai but I believe that doing this will hopefully make people believe that you are actually being interrogated, kinda like found footage I guess.” Mishima replies.

“You know you don’t have to call me senpai, we’ve established this.” Alex responds, looking directly at Mishima, trying his best to replicate a facepalm whilst being tied up.

After a couple minutes of idle chatter and setting the camera up, Mishima is ready to record Alex’s section of the documentary called “Thievery and Justice”

“You still couldn’t come up with a better title?” Alex asks

“I-It’s a working title I promise!” Mishima quickly replies

“Whatever, let’s get this done.”

“Alright, 3, 2, 1, action!” Mishima presses the record button on the camera.

“So, care to introduce yourself?” Mishima politely asks.

“The name’s Alex Beaumont, although from what I’ve heard from the other thieves we’re going by codenames, so I guess the name’s Spartan.” Alex begins

“So Spartan, what don’t we start with what you do outside of the metaverse?”

“Well…I’m currently a second year university student at Tokyo university studying sport science. I also play basketball for the university, luckily I managed to get a scholarship for it.”

“And how did you meet the rest of the Phantom Thieves?”

“Well I met Queen a couple years before any of this actually happened, I was a second year at Shujin academy when she was a first year. I was just walking down the halls when I accidentally crashed into someone, that someone was Queen. After that I often saw her in the library, because of course, so one day I decided to thank her for helping me pick up some of the work that I dropped. After that I guess we just kinda hit it off. She’s honestly like a little sister to me. But anyways, I met the rest of the gang one day on a journey to mementos. I honestly wasn’t even supposed to be there but I just kinda went with them accidentally and ended up staying with them and woke to my persona, hence how I joined the gang.”

“Queen did mention that she knew you for a while before the phantom thieves, what was she like before we met her?” Ren questioned, slightly intrigued.

“Honestly? More of the same. Always uptight, always doing some form of work, always top of the class, hell she even acted like my mum 90% of the time before she remembered that I was her senior, she still does.” Alex chuckled.

“Yeah that sounds like her, I hope she doesn’t hear this.” Ren replied with a chuckle with Alex.

“Back to the topic, it’s very clear that you’re not exactly from here, where were you born and what was your childhood like?” Mishima refocused the interview.

“Ah, you see I was originally born in England, then when I was about 4 years old, me and the rest of the family moved to Japan. Inaba at first, for some reason, my family wanted to just move to Japan and essentially restart their life. So for a few years I lived there. Then when I was a second year, I had to move to Tokyo. Some...complications came up and so I had to move and with what little money I had, I managed to live in a hotel and then a small apartment for a couple of years. I’m now staying in accommodation thankfully provided by the university.” Alex stated.

“More onto the metaverse, what was your role within the group?” Mishima asked after a small silence to process everything.

“I’d say I was kinda like a second in command? I guess the role was kinda similar to Queen’s, being the advisor. But in terms of actual navigation, I mainly did a lot of my work during combat, I stated the strengths and weaknesses of the enemies whilst also mainly dealing physical damage to them. I wielded a spear and a bow, which is primitive I know but they fit with the general theme of my outfit and persona.”

“And what was your persona called?”

“Leonidas. He later became Zagreus for some reason. As Leonidas he was completely faceless wearing a spartan helmet, similar to my mask and he wore all blue whilst wielding a shield and spear. As Zagreus, he seemed to be much more offense focused, he was wielding a sword, similar to a roman gladius. He also seemed to wear a simple red robe which mainly exposed a lot of his chest if I’m being honest.” 

“Alright, I think that’s everything. One last question though, I’m sure all the fans are dying to know... Are you single?” Mishima asked with a slight hint of enthusiasm in his voice. 

Alex and Ren both wince and look at each other for a second.

“Honestly the fact that you’re asking me that is going to mean that I’m sleeping on the couch. So to answer the question, I am not single, I am in a relationship with the most beautiful, scary, badass woman of my life, I love her very much and I hope that she doesn’t kill me when she hears this.” Alex said, half joking half serious. Sae could really do some damage if she felt like it.

“Well that’s a shame. But that should be everything for now, thank you very much for joining me.” Mishima said in the best farewell voice he could muster.

“I didn’t exactly have much of a choice, you tied me to the chair but you’re welcome anyways.” Alex said with mock anger.

And with that Mishima ended the recording and swiftly untied Alex. After a while helping to re-pack all of the equipment, they all headed home. Alex ended up sleeping on the couch because Sae already knew when he got to the apartment, damn Ren and his secret filming.

An uncomfortable sleep ensued as he tried to distract himself with his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this chapter gives more context and actually brings the OC to life a bit more rather than just kinda going "Oh, he exists for no reason." 
> 
> But I will properly get into describing his appearance soon enough. My next rough idea is mainly gonna talk about how he meets Sae, that's when the description will take place.
> 
> But until then, try to enjoy your time and I'll see you all in the next one!


	4. The Whims of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the investigation of the phantom thieves, Sae Niijima finds herself travelling to the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya in the hopes of gaining potentially crucial information. However, she gets more than she bargained for but maybe that isn't such a bad thing...

**July 24th 20xx**

After an uneventful trip all the way to the backstreets of Yonge-Jaya, Sae Niijima found herself right outside a cafe known as LeBlanc. She was here to gather information for what could be the missing piece linking all of this nonsense with phantom thieves and the mental shutdowns that have been slowly gaining more and more popularity and frequency. However, as she was about to make her way in, she was soon stopped in her tracks after she managed to have a quick glance inside and spotted someone behind the counter. This person from what she could gather had dark hair which was shaved at the sides whilst the top seemed to be swept back with gel and a well trimmed full beard. This person was dressed in what she could gather as a long sleeved black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Whilst Sae was very much focused on her career and had no serious ambitions when it came to her love life, she couldn’t help but admire what she viewed as pure eye-candy. After taking a moment to seemingly become conscious again, she made her way into LeBlanc.

The person looked from his work to greet the new customer with a genuine but still rehearsed smile, “Ah, hello and welcome to LeBlanc. What can I get for you today?” They said.

“I’ll just have the house blend please.” Sae responded.

“Coming right up”

And as he worked, there was a silence that developed between them. It seemed to linger for a while until Sae broke it, trying to get to the real reason as to why she’s here.

“Are you the owner of this establishment?”

“Oh, nah, I’m just filling in for him for the week, it seems like he’s come down with something so he’s asked me to look after the store for him.” he said as he served her the coffee. “I’m Alex by the way… Wait, you seem to be dressed way too formal for these parts, Boss isn’t in trouble is he, miss…?”

“Niijima”

“Wait, Niijima? Are you related to a girl called Makoto by any chance?”

“...Yes I am. But back to the matter at hand, if you see your boss, can you tell him that I'll be visiting more often, I need some information from him.”

“So boss is in trouble?”

“Only if he doesn’t cooperate.” Sae says as she has a sip of her coffee. For a moment, she briefly relaxes as she brings the cup back down from her lips.

Alex simply smirks as he notices the brief euphoria sae has on her face as she sips her coffee.

“What’s so funny?” Sae asks in an annoyed tone as she notices the smirk.

“Nothing, just another happy customer. Judging by the look you had when you took a sip, this is the first time in a while where you’ve managed to relax, albeit for a brief moment.” Alex responds, the smirk not leaving his face.

Whilst she maintains a straight face, she is shocked that someone has managed to read and understand her so well from one simple facial expression. Although it had to be a lucky guess, there’s no way he could know so much just from one expression...right?

“Let me guess, you’re struggling to understand how I could tell so much from so little right?” The smirk still plastered on Alex’s face

_ There it is again, this must be a common conversation he has with customers.  _ Sae thought.  _ I have to know how he does it, he doesn’t seem like someone who would work in the force and study body language, he works in a coffee shop for fuck sake! _

“What gave it away?” Sae said with a small smile to add to the act.

“Well first of all, the shoulders seemed to loosen off and lower, you probably didn’t even realize it happened. Second of all, you did manage to keep a straight face, I’ll give you that, but your eyes gave it away, they looked around as if you were calculating something which is a common factor.” Alex stated. “But to be completely honest, I could tell what you were like as soon as you walked in. You had an air of confidence, but that confidence seemed fake. At your core you seemed slightly nervous about something, that’s something I can’t find out, I’m not a mind reader. I could tell the confidence was fake because you took strides that were ever so slightly too long as well as the fact that I saw you slightly readjusting yourself outside.” Alex adds with a small chuckle at the end.

Whilst at first Sae was just playing along in the hopes of him accidentally letting something valuable slip, she was soon genuinely stunned and shocked as she heard the explanation. Was she really that easy to read?

_ I swear to god I’m going to marry this man...Wait what did I just say?  _ Sae thought, slightly conflicted with the situation. On the one hand, this admittedly attractive man just read her like an open book and explained how whilst not batting an eyelid, if that wasn’t hot then she didn’t know what was. However, she’s slightly ashamed at the fact that she was found out so easily after being seen as one of the most confident and determined prosecutors that seemingly ever existed as most people in the office tend to steer clear of her out of pure fear.

“I can tell that you’ve got a lot on your mind. I’m happy to lend an ear if you need, I may not be able to give meaningful advice but it’s better than nothing.” Alex states with a small, genuine smile.

Whilst every cell in her body is screaming at her to not say anything at all, she realizes she may still be able to gain information out of this. At least that’s what the rational part of her tells her.

“Well, how about a discussion rather than a rant about my problems, it sounds like I should be drunk in a bar if I’m going to be doing that.” Sae allows herself a small chuckle.

“Very well, name the subject.” Alex simply says.

“What are your thoughts on the Phantom Thieves?” 

“Well I personally believe that they are morally just, they go after criminals and make them confess their crimes. Seems pretty good to me.” Alex begins.

“But are they actually just? Forcing these ‘changes of hearts’ isn’t natural and makes them seem just as bad as the criminals they’re going after. Not only that but it’s very possible that they have the potential to cause a mental shutdown or psychotic breakdown. They could easily become judge, jury and executioner if they feel like it. A lot of evidence is also suggesting that they’re the cause of the recent psychotic breakdowns.” Sae responds.

“But are they really the cause of it? Whilst I’m not denying that they probably have the potential to do so, think of it this way, why would they cause so much suffering throughout Tokyo just to all of a sudden become so positive and keep changing criminals? If anything they seem like they are a response to the psychotic breakdown cases. Plus surely we would have heard about a psychotic breakdown or mental shutdown caused by them, either by accident or on purpose as almost all of the arrests caused by the change of heart has had air time so we’d have heard of it by now. But we haven’t.” Alex continues to argue.

Sae can’t really continue the discussion, Alex really did bring up some good points. She decides to accept defeat for now and take her leave.

“Fair enough, I’ll admit defeat for now but I’ll be back to continue this discussion later. I’ll leave you to the rest of your day.” She says as she stands up and leaves some yen on the table and begins to make her exit.

“Very well, Thank you for coming to LeBlanc, I hope to see you again soon.” Alex says with a small smile and wave.

After Sae leaves, she takes a deep breath to collect herself and continues on with her day. However, as she goes about her day she realizes, maybe the journey to Yongen-Jaya every so often won't be too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the new chapter done! I had the idea stuck in my head for a while, I just didn't have the motivation to write it until now. I thought I'd try to make Sae a little more cheerful and playful and overall relaxed around people she is generally comfortable with and interested in. We kinda saw it towards the end of P5 so she does have that softer spot for people. I just hope I did it justice.
> 
> Also side note: The big explanation with the body language is supposed to be said in a sherlock-style deadpan tone (If you know, you know)
> 
> That's all for now, I'll hopefully get something out soon, stay tuned and see you all soon!


End file.
